Chapter Text
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Braavos?” Gendry asked, fuming.
“I never made my decision,” she argued.
“But you applied to go. To spend a year abroad and you didn’t even think to tell me?”
“Gendry, you’re being ridiculous. I hadn’t even gotten in, I didn’t want to worry you about nothing.”
“You know what Arya,” he seethed, “I don’t think that we need to worry about this anymore.”
“What are you saying?” She tried to hold back her tears.
“Please leave my apartment, Arya.”
“Gendry,” she tried.
“Just go.”
She left reluctantly, not wanting to make him even more upset. She knew Gendry, he’d be hot headed for a little while and then he’d cool down. She just needed to give him a bit of space. It’s not like she actually was going to go to Braavos, to be apart of the elite dance company known as The House of Black and White. Her family thought she had applied to their fencing program, which was true, but dancing was her true passion and none of them knew that.
The next day she decided to go over to Gendry’s to try and sort things out. The two of them had been dating for over a year and for them to break up over something as silly as this was not going to fly with Arya. Then she heard it.
“Jeyne, come back here,” Gendry’s voice sounded groggy. Arya sprinted out of his apartment complex as fast as she could. How could he cheat on her?
She immediately accepted Syrio Forel’s offer for the summer intense program as well as the one-year academic scholarship as soon as she got home. She hastily packed her things and booked the next flight out to Braavos. Her family was shocked by her insistence, but she needed to leave, she needed to get out of King’s Landing and she did not want to see Gendry ever again. By midnight that night she was in Braavos, settling into her dorm room while Gendry had been trying her cell-phone repeatedly. She’d decided to leave it at home as well as to deactivate all her social media accounts.
“Gendry,” Robb answered the door, after Gendry’s more than insistent knocking at 8:00 the next morning.
“Where is she, she won’t answer my calls?”
Robb went to close the door, but Gendry stopped it with his foot, “Please just tell me where she is.”
“Braavos.”
“So she did lie. Typical.”
Robb balled his fists and punched Gendry in the face, “She didn’t lie, you idiot. She wasn’t going to go until yesterday, booked the flight and everything. She heard you and Jeyne,” Robb yelled, “You cheat on my baby sister and then you have the audacity to call her a liar.”
“I didn’t cheat on her,” Gendry defended.
“So, Jeyne wasn’t at your apartment last night?”
“Um,” Gendry hesitated.
“Exactly,” Robb growled, “So, I suggest you leave before I send the dogs on you, Gendry Waters.”
Three Years Later
Arya had separated herself from her family as much as she could and from Gendry. She only sent monthly e-mail updates ensuring everyone that she was safe and happy and she was, with Aegon. They had met in her first dance class in Braavos and had been inseparable ever since and last night he made it official by asking her to marry him. She felt like she was on cloud nine and was a tad bit drunk, so she accepted a few instagram followers that she probably shouldn’t have.
Sansa came down the stairs screaming.
“Sansa what the hell?” Robb asked.
“Yeah, you’re acting like someone died,” Bran added.
“It’s Arya,” she explained, “Look, I found her Instagram.” Sansa showed everyone her phone and it was pulled to Arya’s instagram page, She wolf. Her profile picture was her in a bikini sitting on top of some guy’s shoulders, her once waist length hair now just grazed her collarbones, and she had a couple of tattoos on her arms that weren’t there before.
“That’s not Arya,” Robb argued.
“Yes it is,” Sansa rebutted, “Besides that’s not the point, look at the most recent post.”
Again she showed her siblings her phone and there was a photo of Arya drinking coffee, but blatantly showing off her engagement ring with the caption the dragon finally tamed the wolf, and it had more than one-hundred thousand likes already, apparently Arya was quite the sensation in Braavos and had over a million followers.
“Come on, that could be anything,” Jon added.
“No, there’s also a video on her story.”
She played the video that showed Arya and Aegon on the beach, and then Aegon getting down on one knee and Arya squealing like a banjee.
“Aegon,” she gasped, “What are you doing?”
“I love you Arya Stark, will you marry me?”
“Of course, you idiot.” He put the ring on her then picked her up and twirled her around before Arya screamed, “I’m engaged. I’m engaged. I’m fucking engaged.” And the video ended with roars of laughter probably from her friends in Braavos.
“Oh my God,” Jon said in horror.
“This is,” Robb began, “Unbelievable.”
“We need to tell mom and dad,” Bran added.
Gendry went to work at Tobho Mott’s shop; he’d been working there for the past five years and loved it. However, today he wished he hadn’t gone into work and seen the cover of an Essoian tabloid magazine. Aegon Targaryen to wed long-term girlfriend, famed dancer, Arya Stark. The two finally got engaged after months of speculation. Congratulations to the happy couple.
He felt his chest tighten. He hadn’t seen or heard from Arya or her family in years, let alone did he know that she had a boyfriend. She looked so different from when he knew her. Her hair was shorter, her body had filled out more, and she just seemed more confident. The TV was playing in the waiting room and of course it had to cover the story as well.
“Aegon Targaryen, Essosi prince has just become engaged to his long-term girlfriend, Arya Stark. Here’s the video.”
“I’m engaged, I’m engaged, I’m bleeping engaged!” Arya screamed.
“She looks happy,” the anchor smiled.
“She definitely does.”
“So what do we know about the mysterious Stark girl?”
“She grew up in Winterfell and is the daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. She has five siblings and has been in Braaovs studying dance for three years, that’s where she met Aegon.”
“It sounds like a fairytale,” the anchor added.
“Oh it is.”
Then he saw Arya, who had been bombarded by reporters, “Arya, Arya, tell us about your engagement. Did you see it coming? How did he propose? What does your family think?”
She just shook them off. Gendry couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her. He had tried to contact her over and over, tried to get her new number from her siblings, tried to apologize for his being stupid. He never cheated on her and now he’ll never get the chance to tell her.